Gear cutting machine



Dec. 24, 1912.5. s. w. AVIS GEAR CUTTING MACHINE Filed June 23, '1931 10 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 24, 1935.

s. w. Av s GEAR CUTTING MACHINE Filed June 23, 1951 10 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 24, 1935.

s. w. AVIS GEAR CUTTING MACHINE Filed June 23, 1951 10 Sheets-Sheet 3 Dec. 24, 1935. I S w AVI I 2,025,034

GEAR CUTT ING MACHINE Filed June 23, 1951 '10 Sheets-Sheet 4 24, 1935. s. w. AVIS GEAR CUTTING MACHINE Fild June 23, 1951 l0 Sheets-Sheet 5 Dec. 24, 1935. s. w. AVIS GEAR CUTTING MACHINE Filed June 25, 1951 l0 Sheets-Sheet 6 [kw/2hr 224W! WM Dec.24,1935. s. w. AVIS I 2,025,034

GEAR CUTT ING MACHINE Filed'June 23, 1951 10 SheecsSheet 7 Dec. 24, 1935. s. w. AVIS GEAR CUTTING MACHINE 1O Sheets-Sheet 8 Filed June 25, 1931 Dec. 24, 1935. s. w. AVIS I GEAR CUTTING MACHINE Filed June 23, 1951 10 Sheets-Sheet 9 flial lll gni.

' Dec. 24, 1935.

s. w. AVIS GEAR CUTTING MACHINE Filed June 23, 1931 i l0 Sheets-Sheet l 0 FyJQ 1 Y [yea Patented Dec. 24, 1935 GEAR CUTTING MACHINE Samuel W. Avis, Providence, R. I., assignor to Brown & Sharpe Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Rhode Island Application June 23, 1931, Serial No. 546,231

54 Claims.

The present invention relates to gear cutting machines, and is herein disclosed as embodied in a machine of the general type employing a gear shaped planing cutter and a work spindle which are given relative reciprocatory movements to impart a translatory cutting movement to the cutter across the face of a circular gear blank supported on the spindle, and relative rotational movements to maintain a substantially equal peripheral speed between the cutter and the gear blank at the point of cutting contact, and are relatively movable laterally of the reciprocatory cutting movement to impart the required relative feeding and relieving'movements to the cutter and the gear blank.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved machine of this general description which will be simple and sturdy in construction, efficient in operation, and more readily adjusted and controlled by the operator than machines of this general description previously developed.

Another object-of the invention, more specifically, is to provide a simple and improved mechanism for imparting relative feeding and relieving movements to the cutter and gear blank which is capable of rapid and accurate adjustment to determine within precise limits the required depth of cut, and is at the same time ruggedly constructed to maintain a high degree of eificiency and accuracy of operation against the pressure of the repeated cutting stroke during the continued life of the machine.

A further object of the invention is to provide novel and improved means for controlling the operation of the machine and for actuating its various parts, whereby greater flexibility and certainty in the operation of the various parts of the machine is secured and particularly of the feeding mechanism for bringing the cutter and the blank relatively into depth.

With these and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear, a feature of the present invention contemplates the provision in a machine of the general type described, including a cutter spindle and a work spindle, of a support for one of these spindles fixed against lateral movement and a support for the other spindle mounted for movement about a fixed pivot, together with means for imparting movements to the pivoted support to feed the cutter and gear blank relatively into the required depth and also to relieve the cutter during each retracting stroke.

2 Another feature of the invention contemplates the provision in a machine of the general type described including a cutter spindle, a work spindle, a support for one of these spindles the movable support and a compensating idler for rotating the spindle mounted thereon to maintain the desired the cutter and the work blan peripheral relationship of other during the relieving movements of the movable support about its pivot;

Another feature of the invention contemplates mounting the gear-sh aped cutter, of a machine k relatively to each 10 of the general type described, for reciprocatory 5 cutting movement in viding a work support towards and from the a fixed support, and prowhich is movable laterally cutter and to which work feeding and relieving movements are imparted to feed the work to depth and to relieve the cutter during each backward cutter stroke.

Other features of the invention contemplate the provision in a machine of the general type above referred to of a fluid pressure system for controlling the operation of the machine and for actuating various of its parts, as hereinafter described and claimed. 7

The several features of the present invention consist also in the dev ices, combinations and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed which, together with the advantages to be obtained thereby, by scription taken panying drawings:

In the drawings,

will be readily understood one skilled in the art from the following dein connection with the accom- Fig. l is a view in front elevation of a gear cutting machine embodying in a preferred form the fea 2 is a View in right elevation tures of the invention; Fig. of the machine; Fig.

3 is a sectional view of the machine in left side elevation taken approximately on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is proximately on the lin a sectional plan view taken ape 4-4 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a sectional plan view taken approximately on the line 55 of Fig. 2; Fig taken on the line 6-6 6 is a detail sectional View of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a detail sectional plan view taken approximately on the line |-'i of Fig. 1, illustrating particularly the work feed and relieving mechanismjFig. 8 is a view taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. '7, illustrating particularly certain portions of the feed mechanism; Fig. 9 is a somewhat diagrammatic view of the machine in side elevation partly in section on the line 9-9 of Fig. 10,

the fluid pressure cont illustrating particularly rol system for the feed and of the gear cutter.

for starting and stopping the machine; Fig. 10 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 16-! 0 of Fig. 9, illustrating particularly the control valves for the liquid pressure control system; Fig. 11 is a plan view of the machine; Fig. 12 is a detail plan view of the mechanism for adjusting the position of the peripheral edge of the cutter with relation to the gear blank, partly in section and with a portion of the casing broken away to disclose the underlying parts; Fig. 13 is a View taken on the line 13-! 3 of Fig. 12; Fig. 14 is a sectional view taken on the line |4-l4 of Fig. 13; Fig. 15 is a detail plan view on an enlarged scale of the timing mechanism shown in Fig. 11; Fig. 16 is a detail sectional view taken onthe line Iii-46 of Fig. 15; Fig. 17 is a detail view in elevation of certain of the parts shown in Fig. 15; Fig. 18 is a detail view in elevation of the control cam for the change speed mechanism shown in Fig. 4, for varying the speed of reciprocation of the cutter; Fig. 19 is a detail view of the mechanism for controlling the angular position of the cutter during its reciprocatory movements, parts being arranged for the production of helical gears; Fig. 20 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 19; Fig. 21 is a sectional View of the same mechanism taken on the line 2l'--2l of Fig. 22; and Fig. 22 is a sectional plan view taken on the line 2222 of Fig. 21.

The gear cutting machine herein disclosed as embodying, in a preferred form, the several features of the present invention, comprises a gear shaped planing cutter mounted on a cutter spindle for lengthwise reciprocatory movements transversely of a gear blank which is supported with relation thereto in the machine on a corresponding work spindle. Continuous rotational movements are imparted to the cutter spindle and the "work spindle during the operation of the machine in timed relation to maintain a substantially equal peripheral speed at the point of contact of the cutter and the gear blank being operated upon as the cutting operation progresses around the gear blank. In order to permit a relative movement of the cutter and gear blank laterally with relation to each other for both the feeding and relieving operations, the work spindle is carried on a support which is mounted to swing about a fixed pivot to move the work spindle toward and away from the cutter spindle which is mounted against lateral'movement in a fixed portion of the machine frame.

The mechanism for moving the work support about its pivot to feed the work into depth with relation to the cutter, comprises a feed member which is advanced gradually by means of a sleeve screw threaded thereto which is fixed against endwise movement on the machine frame, and is provided with end thrust bearings to take up or absorb the side thrust caused by the cutting stroke of the cutter across the face of the gear blank. In order to provide a simple and effective arrangement of this mechanism to back off or relieve the cutter relatively to the gear blank during the retracting movement of the cutter, a toggle connection is provided between the feed member above described and the work support which is broken and straightened to move the gear blank into and out of operative position in timed relation to the reciprocations This arrangement in addition to providing a single set of operating connections for controlling the movements of the work support during the relieving and feeding operations, has the advantage that the lateral thrust of the cutting stroke is taken up against the thrust bearings for the sleeve which controls the position of the feed member, and therefore avoids undue stress or wear on the connections for imparting the relieveing movements to the work support.

In order to secure a compact and simple arrangement of the mechanism for imparting the rotational movements to the work spindle and gear blank carried thereon in timed relation to the cutter, a drive shaft is provided which is mounted co-axially with the work support and extends downwardly through the pivot of the work support, and is connected to impart the required rotational movements to both the cutter spindle and the work spindle. The driving connections for imparting rotational movements to the work spindle from the driving shaft comprise a compensating idler which is arranged to maintain the required peripheral relationship between the gear blank and the cutter as the work support is moved about its pivot during the feeding and relieving movements imparted thereto. This idler may be designed to slightly retard or advance the rotational movement of the gear blank during the relieving movement of the work support, and thus to provide as great a clearance for the cutter during its retracting movement as may be desired.

The driving connections for imparting rotational movements to the cutter spindle and the work spindle, and for imparting reciprocatory cutting movements to the cutter spindle, are controlled by means of a machine clutch which is operated by the liquid pressure control system hereinafter described. In order to bring the machine to a quick stop, a braking mechanism is provided which acts automatically upon disconnecting the machine clutch to arrest the further reciprocatory cutting movement of the cutter spindle.

In order to bring the work into the exact depth required, a setting mechanism is provided which comprises a series of disks mounted on the screwthreaded sleeve above referred to, and provided with abutments to engage corresponding stops on the machine frame to control the rotational movements of the sleeve to advance the feed member above described. One disk is rigidly secured to the sleeve and is formed with an abutment to engage with a corresponding stop on the machine frame to positively limit the rotational feeding movement of the sleeve to advance the feed member. A second disk is adjustably mounted on the sleeve and is provided with an abutment to engage with a fixed stop to limit the movement of the sleeve in an opposite direction for measuring accurately the distance through which the sleeve is to be rotated to determine the final depth of the gear teeth. Two additional disks adjustably mounted on the sleeve to engage with a corresponding stop lever are arranged to permit the feeding operation to be interrupted at one or more points while the cutting operation is continued for a complete revolution about the gear blank to form preliminary cuts of an intermediate depth. An adjustable connection is provided between the feed member and the work support which enables the operator in setting up the machine after the sleeve and the feed member controlled thereby have been retracted a distance corresponding to the required pitch to be given the gear teeth to bring the gear blank into grazing contact with the cut-tter, so that the advancing movement of the feed member will be effective to bring the gear blank and cutter relatively to the depth required.

. Inasmuch as the gear blank, in being fed to either an intermediate or final depth, is gradually moved toward the cutter during the continued rotational movements of the cutter and work spindle, the cutting operation must be con tinued completely around the gear blank from the point at which the feeding movement is arrested to complete each of the preliminary and final cuts. Accordingly, to! render the machine completely automatic in operation, a timing mechanism is provided which is thrown into operation when the feeding movement is arrested, and acts after a complete revolution of the gear blank from this point for each of the prelim inary cuts to cause the feeding'movement to be resumed, and after the work has been brought finally into depth to stop the machine.

For operating the feeding and timing mechanisms above described and for actuating the starting and stopping mechanism, the machine herein disclosed is provided with a liquid pressure control system which is arranged to make the machine entirely automatic in operation. A pump continuously driven from an outside source of power, supplies liquid under pressure to the I system which includes three cylindrical pressure chambers fitted with pistons arranged to operate respectively the feeding mechanism, the starting and stopping clutch, and the timing mechanism above described. Control valves which may be operated manually by means of manual control levers or automatically by the timing mechanism are provided to control the operation of the starting and stopping clutch and the feeding mechanism. The rate at which the work is fed toward the cutter is determined within narrow limits by means of a needle valve in the pipe connections leading from the pump to the feed expansion pressure chamber.

After the machine has been thrown into operation, the feeding operation continues until the further rotation of the sleeve for advancing the feed member is positively arrested by the engagement of any one of the stops on the machine frame by the corresponding disk on the sleeve. The increase in pressure which is built up, due to the fact that the volume of the liquid acting on the surface against which the liquid pressure is being exerted is no longer expanding, then causes the timing mechanism to be thrown into operation, so that after a complete revolution of the gear blank'from the point at which a feed was arrested, the operating conditions of the machine will be automatically altered to permit a continuation of the feeding operation, or if the work has been fed into depth to then stop the machine.

Referring to the drawings, the gear cuttingmachine herein disclosed as embodying in a preferred form the several features of the present invention comprises a rotatable cutter spindle 2E0 vertically mounted in the machine frame 22 and provided at its lower end with a gear-shaped planing cutter 24 (see Figs. 1 and 3). A rotatable work spindle 26 for supporting a circular gear blank 28 is mounted to cooperate with the cutter in a support 30 which is arranged to swing laterally about a fixed pivot which comprises the bearings 32 and 34 arranged to receive corresponding axle posts or trunnions 38 and 38 formed on the support 38. In order to form a firm foundation for the support 30. against the downward thrust of the cutter 24 during the operation of the machine, the support 30 has formed on its under side a bearing surface 48 which engages at all times with the corresponding arcuate way 42 formed in the base of the machine. The work support 38 is moved about its pivot to impart feeding movements to the work into engagement with the cutter, and is also actuated in timed relation to the reciprocating stroke of the cutter to impart relieving movements to the work.

The driving mechanism from which power is supplied for imparting relative rotational movements to the cutter and work spindle to maintain a substantially equal peripheral speed at the point of cutting contact, for imparting the vertical reciprocatory cutting movements to the cutter and the cutter spindle, and for moving the support 30 about its pivot to impart the required feeding and relieving movements to the work blank, comprises a pulley 44 (see Figs. 1 and 4) which is formed on one end of a sleeve 48 journaled in bearings 48 in the machine and continuously driven from an outside source of power by means of a belt 58. Journaled within the sleeve and arranged to turn independently thereof is a driving shaft 52 which carries a clutch member 54 keyed to turn with the shaft and slidable lengthwise thereof to bring the clutch member into engagement with the corresponding clutch surface 56 formed within the base of the pulley 44.

The connections for moving the clutch member 54 into and out of operative engagement with the pulley M for starting and stopping the machine, comprise a clutch actuating lever 58 which is pivoted at (it to the machine frame and at its upper end carries a yoke 62 provided with cam rolls 64 which engage a groove formed on the movable clutch member M. A tension spring 68 stretched between the lower end of the clutch lever 58 and a point on the machine frame tends to maintain the clutch normally in its open or disconnected position. The clutch lever 58 is moved about its pivot 58 against the pressure of the spring 88 to throw the machine into operation bymeans of an axially movable shaft 18 which is connected at one end through a link 12 to the lower portion of the clutch lever 58, and at its other end is provided with a piston M arranged to slide in a liquid pressure chamber 15,

to which liquid under pressure is supplied from the hydraulic control system for the machine hereinafter to be described.

Vertical reciprocatory movements are imparted to the cutter spindle 28 and cutter 24 from the driving shaft 52 through connections which comprise a flywheel ill (see Figs. 2, 3 and l) secured on a shaft 88 mounted in a parallel relationship to and beneath the driving shaft 52. The connections from the flywheel 18 for actuating the spindle comprise a movement in ways 84 in the machine and journaled to receive the cutter spindle 20 which is permitted to turn freely with relation to the block, but is prevented from endwise movement relatively thereto by means of the bearing members 86 and 88 secured to the cutter spindle 20 respectively at each end of the block 82. A rack 90 formed in the block 82 engages with a corresponding gear segment 92 which is rigidly secured to one end of a rock shaft 94 extending horizontally across the machine. The rock shaft is given a reciprocatory movement to advance and retract the cutter from the flywheel 18 through connections which include a link 96 secured at its upper end to a short lever arm 98 block 82 mounted for vertical on the rock shaft 94 and at its lower'end pivotally. secured to a crank pin I00 on the flywheel 18. In order to permit a ready adjustment of the amplitude of the cutter stroke, the crank pin I00 is carried on a slide I02 which may be moved toward or away from the center of the flywheel along ways I04 by means of a screw threaded member I06.

In order to permit an adjustment of the speed of reciprocation of the cutter in accordance with the requirements of the work, a set of change speed gears is provided for driving the flywheel shaft 80 at dilferent rates of speed from the constant speed driving shaft 52. These gears, as best shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, comprise the gears I08 and H0 fixed to the driving shaft 52 and the sliding gears H2 and H4 formed on a sleeve II6 which is keyed to turn with the flywheel shaft 80 and may be moved in one direction from a'central inoperative position to cause the gear II2 to mesh with gear I08 or in the other direction to cause the gear II4 to mesh with the gear IIO. In order to secure further changes in the speed of reciprocation of the cutter, a second pair of gears H8 and I20 are formed on the driving shaft 52 to engage with a corresponding set of gears I22 and I24formed on a sleeve I26 which is mounted to slide on the flywheel shaft 80 and is keyed to turn therewith.

The sleeve gears on the flywheel shaft; 80 are controlled to produce any one of four difierent speeds of reciprocation of the cutter, by means of two triangular shaped shifting levers I28 and I30 (see Figs. 4 and 18) pivoted at their lower ends on the machine, and provided each with a cam roll I which engage in opposite portions of a cam groove I36 formed in one face of a cam disk I38. The shifting levers I28 and I30 are also provided with yokes I40 and I42 which engage with corresponding flanges I44 .and I46 formed on the sleeves H6 and I26 carrying the sliding gears. The position of the cam disk I38 may be controlled by the operator to bring any one of the shifting gears into engagement with its corresponding driving gear through connections which comprise a shaft I48 rotatably mounted in the machine carrying at its rear end a pinion I55 meshing with a corresponding external gear I52 formed on the periphery of the cam disk I38. At its forward end the shaft I 48 is connected by means of the bevel gears I54 and I56 to a stub shaft I58 mounted at right angles thereto in the machine frame and provided with a manually operable lever I60 to enable the operator to make the successive adjustments of the change speed mechanism.

In order to bring the machine to a-quick stop after the clutch member 54 has been thrown out to stop the machine, a braking mechanism is provided which acts automatically upon disconnecting the driving clutch to arrest the continued rotation of the flywheel 18 within as short a compass as possible. This mechanism as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 comprises a brake band I62 which extends around the periphery of the flywheel 18 and is provided at one of its adjoining ends with a lug I64, its other adjoining end being secured to a bracket I66 fixed in the machine frame. In order to exert a braking tension on the band, a rod I68 is mounted to slide in the bracket I66, and. is pivotally connected at I16 to the lug I64. A compression spring I12 coiled about the rod I68 between the bracket I66 and an adjustable nut I15 on the rod I68, tends to draw the two ends of the band together to apply the required braking force. The mechanism for controlling the operation of the brake described, comprises a pair of toggle levers I16 which are connected at their free ends respectively to the lug I64 and the fixed bracket I66, so that the movement of the central pivot I18 to straighten the toggle will cause a separation of the ends of the brake band I62 against the pressure of the spring I12 to release the brake, while a movement of the central pivot I18 to break the toggle will, by allowing the two ends of the band to be brought together under the pressure of the spring I12, act to set the brake.

The toggle levers I16 are actuated through connections from the clutch actuating lever 58, so that the movement of the clutch lever 58 to connect the machine clutch and start the machine at the same time acts to straighten the toggle and release the braking mechanism, while a reverse movement of the clutch lever 58 to disengage the machine clutch and stop the machine, acts simultaneously to break the toggle connections and permit the application of the brake band under the pressure of the spring I12 to stop the further'rotation of the flywheel 18.

'These connections comprise a bell-crank lever 'I80, one arm of which is connected by a horizontally arranged link I82 to the lower portion of the clutch actuating lever 58, the other arm of the bellcrank being similarly connected by a link I84 to the central pivot I18 of the toggle levers I16.

The mechanism for imparting rotational movements to the Work spindle and to the cutter spinoils from the main driving shaft 52 comprises a stub shaft I86 which carries a gear I88 permanenty meshing with the gear II 8 on the driving shaft. The stub shaft I 86 drives a stub shaft I90 set at right angles thereto through the engagement of a worm I92 on the shaft I86 with a worm gear I94 on the shaft I90. The stub shaft I90 in turn drives a shaft I96 which is mounted parallel thereto and at its forward end carries a worm I88 which engages with a worm gear 200 on a vertical drive shaft 202. To enable the speed of rotation of the cutter and gear blank to be readily adjusted in accordance with the requirements of the work, the two shafts I96 and I96 extend through the casing at the rear of the machine, and are provided with keys to receive a set of change speed gears 204 and 206 which can be replaced by the operator to drive the shaft I96 at different rates of speed.

The drive for both the cutter spindle and the work spindle is taken from the vertical drive shaft In order to provide the most eflicient and compact arrangement of the gearing for driving the work spindle on its rotatable support 30, the vertical drive shaft 202 is arranged to extend downwardly through the pivot of the support on the machine frame, being journaled near its up- 1 per end in the machine frame, and being supported at its lower endwithin the support in a bearing 208. 'At its lower end the drive shaft 202 carries a gear 2 I6 which engages with the upper member 2 I 2 of a compensating idler gear mounted at 2I4 on the work support 36, the lower member. 2 I 6 of the idler gear being arranged to mesh with a gear 2I8 secured to the lower end of the work spindie 26. The compensating idler gear comprising the members 2 i2 and 2 I 5 through which the work spindle is driven from the vertical driving shaft 202, is provided to maintain the desired peripheral relationship between the cutter and the blank as the work support is moved about its pivot to feed the work into depth and to back off the cutter with relation to the work blank during each retracting movement of the cutter. If this idler gear were omitted and the gear 2l8 was arranged to mesh directly with the gear 2H3, it will be obvious that movements of the work support about its pivot would produce a rotation of the gear 2 l 8, this additional rotation of the gear 2 l8 causing an acceleration of the rotational movement of the gear as the work support is moved away from the cutter and a retarding effect on the rotational movement of the gear as the work support is moved towards the cutter. The idler gear provides a means whereby this objectionable accelerating and retarding movement of the gear 2H3 may be eliminated and whereby the work blank can if desired be given a direct lateral movement away from the cutter without any change in the peripheral relationship of the cutter and blank. However, in order to secure a greater amount of clearance between the sides of the teeth of the cutter and the corresponding side portions of the teeth out in the gear blank than would normally be secured by a direct lateral movement of the blank away from the cutter, the members 2 l 2 and 2l6 of the compensating idler gear are proportioned so that the movement of the work support about its pivot will have a slightly modifying effect on the rotational movement of the gear blank as the work support is backed off from the cutter, and a slightly accelerating effect as the work support is again moved into operating position to bring the cutter and blank into their proper peripheral relationship for each cutting stroke.

Rotary movements are imparted to the cutter from the vertical driving shaft 262 through connections comprising a short horizontally arranged shaft 220 which extends rearwardly through the casing of the machine, and is provided at its forward end with a bevel gear 222 engaging with a corresponding bevel gear 224 secured to the vertical driving shaft 202. The shaft 226 in turn drives a second shaft 226 mounted somewhat above and parallel thereto, being connected thereto through change speed gears 226 and 236 as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. The shaft 226 is arranged to drive a second shaft 232 which is mounted to turn on the same axis and forms a continuation of the shaft 226, being connected to turn therewith by means of an adjusting mechanism hereinafter to be described. A worm 232 is formed on the shaft 232 to engage with a worm gear 236 which is sleeved on the spindle and is keyed to impart the required rotational movements thereto.

The driving connections for imparting rotational movements to the reciprocating spindle from the worm gear 236 may be arranged alternatively to provide a vertical movement of the cutter blades at right angles to the face of the blank to cut ordinary gears, or a helical movement of the spindle to cause the cutting blades tomove across the face of the blank at a different angle for the cutting of helical gears as desired. For this purpose, the worm gear 236 is formed on the lower end of a sleeve 238 which fits over the cutter spindle 26 and is held against endwise movement in the machine frame by means of the end thrust bearings 2M! and 242 engaging with opposite faces of the worm gear 266 (see Figs. 3, and 19 to 22). Within two semi-circular complementa y guide blocks succeedingthe sleeve 238 are fitted.

244, each of which is keyed to turn with the outer sleeve 238 and is held against endwise movement relatively thereto between an abutment 246 at the lower end of the sleeve and a removable ring 248 secured by screws 250 to the upper end of the sleeve 268. The adjoining edges of the removable blocks 244 are bevelled to form grooves 262. which are engaged by corresponding flanges 255 formed on a corresponding guide block in the form of a sleeve 256 which is splined onto the reduced upper end of the spindle and is held rigidly in place thereon by means of a lock nut 258. A removable cap 266 forming a portion of the casing of the machine normally covers the upper end of the cutter spindle and provides easy access by the operator, so that the removable members 244 and the cooperating sleeve 256 may be readily changed to adapt the machine for cutting straight or spiral gears.

As illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings, the guide members 244 and the sleeve 256 are designed to provide a vertical reciprocation of the gear cutter to cut teeth at right angles to the plane of the gear blank. Figs. 19 to 22 illustrate a modification of this design in which helical guides and a sleeve with flanges correspondingly shaped are employed to cut helical gears. Since the two constructions are essentially identical in design, the same reference employed to designate the parts.

In order to permit an adjustment of the angular position of the cutter spindle 20 with relation to the work spindle 26 to adjust the position of the peripheral portion of the gear cutter with relation to the corresponding peripheral position of the gear blank, an adjustable driving connection is provided between the shafts 226 and 232 which is adapted normally to provide a direct drive from one shaft to the other, but may be actuated by the operator to move one shaft relatively to the other and thus to adjust the angular position of the cutter with relation to the gear blank. This adjustable driving connection, as best shown in Figs. 11 to 14 inclusive, comprises a sleeve 262 which is mounted to rotate freely on characters have been a reduced portion of the end of the shaft 232, and

has formed thereon a large bevel gear 264 There is also mounted on the sleeve 262 an elongated gear 266 which extends through an aperture formed in the gear 264 and is adapted to engage with each of two internal gears 268 and 210 formed respectively on the inner surfaces of the enlarged casings 212 and 214 secured respectively to shafts 226 and 232. A different number of gear teeth are provided on the internal gears 268 and 216 so that a rotation of the spur gear 262 relatively to the shaft 226 causes the small gear 266 meshing with the internal gears 268 and 212 to move around the inside of the casing, thus causing the angular position of the shaft 232 to be altered with of the shaft 226. In order to prevent any possibility of slippage due to a rotation of the spur gear 263 relatively to the shaft 226 during the operation of the machine, plunger 216 is also mounted on the sleeve 262 and frictionally engages the casing 214 on the shaft 232. Manually operated connections are provided for rotating the spur gear 264 and sleeve 262 to adjust the angular position of the cutter comprising a shaft 218 which is journaled in a bearing 2% in the machine, and is provided at its rear end with a bevel gear 282 adapted to engage with the bevel gear 264 and at its forward end with a manually operable control wheel 284.

a spring-pressed relation to the position,

to'the toggle levers and the feed member. These Acomp'ressiori spring. 286 coiled about the shaft 218 between a washer 288 on the shaft and the end-of the bearing 28!] tends to move the shaft and gear 282 axially out of engagement with the gear 264. This movement of the shaft is limited by the engagement of the hub of the gear 282 with the rear end of the bearing 280. When the machine is at rest, the operator, to perform the desired adjustment, merely pushes the crank in to engage the bevel gears and then rotates the shaft'2l8 until the desired angular position of the cutter is secured.

.The mechanism through which the movable support 30 is oscillated about its pivot to impart the required feeding and relieving movements to the gear blank, as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and to 8, comprises a feed member 290 which is moved axially by means of a rotatable nut or sleeve 292 screw threaded on the feed member and externally supported on the machine frame. In order to prevent the feed member 298 from turning lwlth the sleeve 292, flat faces 294 are formed on the forward ends of the feed member to engage "with a corresponding abutment 286 on the machine. The sleeve 292 is mounted to rotate in a bearing 298 and is fixed against endwise movement in one direction by the engagement of one face of a flange 300 on the sleeve with a corresponding end thrust bearing 302, and is fixed against endwise movement in the other direction by the engagement 'of a disk 304 with an end thrust bearing 306. The feed'member 290 is con- 'nected by means of the toggle links 308 and 3! tea gear 3l2 which is mounted to turn about a fixed axis on the machine frame and engages with a gear segment 3l4 on the support 38-so that 'the advancing movement of the feedmember, byrcausing a corresponding rotation of the gear 3l2,.acts to move the support 30'about its pivot and bring the gear blank into operative relationship to the cutter.

Inorder to permit the work support to be swung into and out of operative position, and to enable the operator in setting up the machine to bring the gear blank into grazing contact with the. cutter, connections are provided between the toggle links 308 and 3H) and the gear 1 3 I 2 including a clutch which may be disconnected to allow the gear 3l2 and work support 30 to move freely about their pivots, and a worm and gear connection for producing a fine adjustment of the work support and gear blank with relation connections comprise a hollow shaft 3|6 (see Fig. 6) which is supported at its lower end within a sleeve 3| 8 which is journaled in a bearing 320 in the machine frame, and at its upper end is journaled in a bearing 322 in the frame. The

. gear 3l2 is rigidly mounted on the hollow shaft under side with clutch teeth 324 which are'arranged to engage with corresponding clutch teeth 325 formed on the upper end of the sleeve 3l8. The gear3l2 and shaft 3l6 are normally held in a depressed position with the clutch teeth in engagement by means of a series of compression springs 328 which are seated in corresponding recesses formed in the upper face of the gear 3| 2 and engage with a ring 326 which'is arranged to bear against a corresponding ring 330 secured to the casing 332 within which this mechanism is *mounted. To provide a minimum of friction, a

"ball bearing is provided between the two rings.

Mechanism is provided under the control of the operator for raising the gear 3l2 to discon 3| 6 above the sleeve 3| 8, and is provided on its nect the clutch and permit the free movement of the support 36 about its pivot which comprises a hand operated lever 334 pivoted at 336 on the casing 332 and at one end connected to a rod 338 fitted within the hollow shaft 3|6. At its bottom end, the rod 338 is provided with a washer 340 which overlies the bottom end of the hollow shaft 3|6 so that the movement of the lever 334 about its pivot to raise the rod 338 causes the hollow shaft 3l6 and the gear 3l2 connected thereto to be lifted against the pressure of the springs 328 to disengage the clutch.

In order to provide a fine adjustment of the support 30 and the gear blank with relation to the toggle levers 388 and 3H] and the feed member 290 to enable the operator to bring the gear blank into grazing contact with the cutter in setting up the machine, the toggle member 3l0 is pivotally connected by a pivot pin 342' to a collar 344 which is mounted on the sleeve 3| 8 and is adjustably secured to turn therewith by the engagement of a worm 346 mounted on the collar with a worm gear 348 formed in the periphery of the sleeve 3l8. With this arrangement of the parts, it will be seen that the operator is enabled,

by rotating the worm 346, to secure a fine angular adjustment of the sleeve 3l8 and gear 3| 2 with relation to the collar 344 to move the gear blank slightly toward or away from the cutter.

Relieving movements are imparted to the'movable support 30 to back off the gear blank during the return stroke of the cutter through connections which act to break and straighten the toggle links 308 and 3| 0 in timed relation to the 7 operation of the cutter. These connections comprise a cam 358 secured on a shaft 352 which also carries a gear 354 arranged to mesh at all times with the sliding gear H4 on the flywheel shaft 88 through which the reciprocatory cutting movements are imparted to the cutter. A cam groove 356 is formed on theperiphery of the cam 358' to receive a cam roll. 358 which is carried on 308 and 3H] are in their straightened position.

is taken up entirely against the feed member 290, the sleeve 232 and the end thrust bearing 302, and avoids bringing any undue strain on the relieving cam or intermediate connections for backing on the gear blank from the cutter.

In order to limit the rotational movement of the sleeve 292 to bring the gear blank exactly to the required depth through the advancing movement of the feed member 290, and also to arrest the feeding movement of the blank carrier at one or morerintermediate points to enable preliminary cuts of intermediate depths to be made, control mechanism is provided for positively stopping the rotation of the sleeve 292. To this end a disk 334 is rigidly secured to the sleeve 292 (see Figs. 2, 7, 8 and 9), and is provided with a stop in the form of an abutment 366 which is arranged to engage with the end of a stop in the. form of a rod 368 rigidly positioned in the ma-.

chine. The rod 368 is mounted for endwise movement in the machine frame, and may be positioned by means of a micrometer adjustment to determine exactly the limit, of the advancing movement of the blank carrier with relation to the cutter for the required depth of cut. The mechanism for securing this adjustment of the position of the rod 368, comprises a rotatable sleeve 369 mounted against endwise movement in the machine and screw threaded. to the rod 368. A rotatable pin 310 set at right angles to the rod 368 and sleeve 369, is provided at one end with a spiral gear connection for rotating the sleeve to impart endwise movement to the rod 368 which is keyed to prevent rotation therewith. A knurled I head formed on the exposed end of the rotatable pin 316 provides an accessible control for the operator, and is arranged to cooperate with a dial 315, so that the exact position of the rod or stop 363, and the consequent depth of feed may be determined directly from the angular position of the rotatable pin 310.

In setting up the machine to operate upon a new gear blank, the sleeve 292 is moved in a reverse direction to carry the abutment 366 on the disk 334 away from the stop 368 a distance exactly equal to the depth of out which it is desired to make in the gear blank. The position of the work support 39 is then adjusted with relation to the feed mechanism as above described to bring the periphery of contact with the cutter. To enable the operator quickly and accurately to determine the position to which the sleeve must be turned in a reverse direction in setting up the machine to secure the required depth of cut, an adjustable setting mechanism is provided which comprises a disk 312 loosely mounted to turn on the sleeve 292, and corrugated on one face to engage with corresponding corrugations formed on the face of the fixed disk 334, so that the two disks may be locked to turn as a unit. The disk 312 is also provided with an abutment 314 which is arranged to engage with a fixed stop 316 on the machine frame. In setting up the machine, the disk 312 is set with relation to the fixed disk 364, so that as the sleeve 232 is moved in a reverse direction, the abutment 314 will be brought into engagement with the stop 316, and thus prevent the further reverse movement of the sleeve 292 at a point which will correspond exactly to the distance through which the sleeve 292 must rotate to secure the required depth of cut. The required setting of the disk 312 relatively to the fixed disk 364 is readily determined by means of markings on the disk 312 which are read with reference to a corresponding mark on the disk 304.

Provision is made for stopping the feeding movement of the sleeve 232 at intermediate points to make preliminary cuts, by means of two disks 318 which are loosely mounted to turn on the sleeve 232, and are provided with corrugated faces to enable them to be locked in their adjusted positions relatively to each other and to the sleeve 262. Each of these disks is provided with an abutment 363 which is adapted to engage with a short projecting butt 382 on a stop lever 384 pivoted at 386 on the machine frame. In the operation of the machine, the sleeve 292 will be advanced until one of the abutments 336 engages with the butt 332 of stop lever 333. Further advance of the sleeve 26?. is thus arrested and the sleeve remains stationary while the gear blank makes a complete rotation to carry the cutting operation at a uniform depth completely around the periphery of the gear blank. Ihe lever 383 is then rocked to disengage its butt 332 from the abutment 366 and permit the further rotation of the sleeve 232 until the butt 362 comes into contact with the second of the abutments 383 to prevent the further rotation of the sleeve 292 while a second preliminary cut is made in the gear the blank into grazing blank. After the completion of the second cutting operation about the gear blank, the lever 364 is again rocked to release the sleeve 262 which is permitted to continue its rotational feeding movement to bring the cutter finally into depth with relation to the gear blank when the further rotational feeding movement of the sleeve is arrested by the engagement of the abutment 336 with the stop rod 366. To lock the disk 312 and the two disks 313 in their adjusted positions relatively to each other, a cover disk 338 is placed over the outer end of the sleeve 292, and is screwed down into clamping engagement with the disks to lock them rigidly to each other and to the fixed disk 364 by means of a bolt which extends through the cc-ver disk 382 and is provided at its inner end with a plug 39?. screw threaded into the end of the sleeve 292, and at its outer end with a knurled head 334 to enable the operator readily to manipulate the bolt for clamping and unclamping the disks.

The mechanism for imparting the required rotational movement to the sleeve 292 to feed the gear blank towards the cutter, comprises a vertically arranged bar 336 (see Figs. 2, '7 and 9) having formed thereon a rack 396 which engages with a corresponding gear 333 formed on the disk 33!] which as above pointed out is rigidly secured to the periphery of the sleeve 292, so that a vertical movement of the bar upwardly acts to impart the required rotational feeding movements to the sleeve 292. At its lower end the bar 396 is provided with a piston 432 which is fitted to slide in a chamber 436 to which liquid is admitted under pressure, as will be hereinafter more fully described, to impart the required vertical feeding movements to the bar. At its upper end the bar is supported within a sleeve 333 rigidly secured in the machine, and is normally held in its low position by means of a spring bar 396 within the sleeve, and arranged at one end to bear against the upper end of the sleeve, and at its other end to bear against a collar M2 on the bar.

For controlling the operation of the machine to cause a resumption of the feeding operation after M3 coiled about the I the completion of each preliminary out, and to automatically stop the machine after the completion of the final out, a timing mechanism is provided which is thrown into operation when the rotational feeding movement the sleeve 232 is arrested by the engagement of the stop lever 384 with either of the preliminary stop abutments 383 or by the engagement of the stop rod 358 with the abutment 366 as the work is fed into depth, and acts through connections about to be described to bring about the required changes in the operating conditions of the machine. This timing mechanism comprises a rotatable timing cam 4l4 (see Figs. 2, 3, 9, l1, l5 and 16) which is mounted on the upper end of a vertical shaft or spindle 4H6 journaled in a bracket M8 which is secured by screws 323 to the open end of a cylinder 422. A piston e23 arranged to slide within the cylinder is mounted on the reduced lower end of the spindle M6, and is secured thereto by means of a nut A23. The cam M3 is rotated, when rendered operative, in timed relation to the rotation of the gear blank through connections which include a gear which is mounted near the upper end of the vertical drive shaft 232 (see Figs. 3 and 16), and engages with a gear 433 formed on a sleeve which is journaled in a bearing 433 concentrically with the axis of the cam 4H4. A flange 436 threaded to the upper end of the sleeve prevents endwise movement'of the sleeve 432 and gear 438 in the bearing. Corresponding clutch members 438 are formed on the adjacent face surfaces of the gear 438 and the cam H4, so that the cam 4| 8 may be clutched to turn with the gear 438. A compression spring 448 mounted in a sleeve or tube 442 journaled within the sleeve 432 is arranged to bear at its upper end against an adjusting screw 444, and at its lower end against the cam M4 to maintain the cam and spindle 4l6 normally in their retracted position. The spindle 4 I 5 and cam 4|4 are raised against the pressure of the spring 448 to engage the clutch members by introducing liquid into the lower end of the cylinder 422 under sufiicient pressure to overcome the force of the spring 448. The hydraulic connections, as will be hereinafter more fully explained, are arranged so that when the upward movement of the bar 385 which actuates the feed sleeve 292 is arrested, the resulting increase of pressure throughout the system increases the upward pressure exerted on the piston 424 sufiiciently to overcome the pressure of the spring 448, and raises the spindle M6 and timing cam 4 E4 to engage the clutch members 438, and thus to throw the timing cam into operation.

The timing cam M4 is turned to and held in its rest or starting position with a raised portion of the cam in engagement with a stop or abutment 446 on the frame by means of a cord 448 which '5 wrapped about and is secured at one end to a pulley 458 formed adjacent the under face of the cam on the spindle 4H5, the free end of the cord being laid over a pulley 452 at the rear of the machine, and being connected to a tension spring 454 which is fastened to the machine frame. The periphery of the timing cam 4| 4 is provided with two raised cam portions 456 and 458 placed parallel to each other and occupying the same segment of the cam, these raised portions being arranged to engage alternately with a spring-pressed plunger 468. The raised cam portion 456 occupying the lower position has a constant radius and extends around the periphery of the cam through an angle corresponding exactly to the movement of the cam while the gear blank is rotating through 368, so that during this time the plunger is held in its retracted position. The upper raised cam portion 458 occupying a position parallel to that of the raised cam 456 has a radius which is at one end of the cam equal to that of the raised cam 456, but

' gradually decreases in radius until at the other end of the cam 458 the radius is equal to that of the low portion of the cam. With this arrangement of the parts, it will be seen that when the cam 4M and spindle 4! 6 are raised into -pera tive position, the spring-pressed plunger 468 will be held in its depressed position at one end of the raised cam 455, and will beheld in this position during a rotary movement of the cam 4 l4 corresponding to a 360 rotation of the gear blank when the plunger will drop oh" the high portion of the cam, thus allowing the mechanisms for resetting the operation of the machine to become operative.

As the pressure in the hydraulic chamber 422 is reduced to its previous level by the resumption .of the feeding movement ofthe bar 386, or is released entirely by the stopping of the machine at the end of the cutting operation, the piston M6 and cam 4l4 will be retracted under the pressure of the spring 448 to disengage the clutch members 438and allow the cam M4 to return to its rest position under the influence of thecord 448 and spring 454. The downward movement of the cam 4 l4 to disengage the clutch 438 causes the plunger 468 to be brought into engagement with and ride outwardly on the spiral cam surface 458 as the cam is rotated in a reverse direction to return the plunger 468 to its original retracted position on the high portion of the cam.

The spring-pressed plunger 460 is mounted to slide in a tubular chamber 462 formed in a fixed 10 portion of the machine frame, one end of the chamber being enlarged to receive the head 466 of the plunger and a compression spring 468 which is coiled about the plunger between the end of the enlarged portion of the chamber, and the head of the plunger. This spring at all times maintains the plunger in contact with the cam 4l4 as above described. At its rear end the plunge-r is provided with a spring-pressed detent 418 in the form of a rod which is arranged to slide in a guideway formed along the axis of the plunger, and is pressed outwardly by means of a compression spring 412 seated in the base of the recess, and bearing against the end of the detent. In order to limit the backward movement of the detent under the pressure of its spring 472, the projecting end of the detent is reduced in size to form a shoulder which engages with a corresponding shoulder formed on a collar 414 which is screw-threaded to the rear end of the plunger.

The connections controlled by the movement of the plunger 468 toward the center of the timing 7 cam 414 to cause a resumption of the feeding operation after the completion of each preliminary out about the gear blank, comprise a horizontally arranged lever 416 (see Fig. 9) which is pivotally mounted at 478 intermediate its length on. the machine frame, and is connected at one end by a link 488 to the stop lever 384, and at its other end to the lower end of an axially movable vertical control rod 482. A rack 484 formed on the upper end of the control rod 482 is arranged to mesh with a pinion 486 which also engages with a corresponding rack 488 formed on a horizontally situated rod 488. Endwise movements are imparted to the rod 498 and through the pinion 486 to the control rod 482 from the plunger 468 by meansof a bell-crank lever 492, (see Figs. 9, 11, 15 and 17), one arm of which is connected through a link 484 to the rod 488, the other arm being connected to the collar 414 on the plunger 468 through the engagement of a pin 496 on the collar with a slot 498 formed in the arm of the bell-crank. With this arrangement of parts it will be seen that whenever the spring-pressed plunger 468 is moved towards the center of the timing cam M4, the butt end of the stop lever 384 will be moved out of line with the preliminary stops 388, and will be again moved into operative position as the plunger is returned to its retracted position.

The connections controlled by the movement of r the plunger 468 for stopping the machine at the end of the gear cutting operation, comprise a horizontally arranged shaft 508 (Figs. 2, 9, 11, 15 and 17) which is journaled for endwise and rocking movements in a casing 582 forming a part of the machine frame. At its forward end this shaft is connnected by means of a link 584 to the vertically situated arm. of a bell-crank 586 which is pivoted at 588 on the machine. The horizontal arm of 'the bell-crank is connected'to the upper end of a rack bar 518 (see'Figs. 1 and 9) which is arranged to control the starting and I the feeding movements of the sleeve 292,

'- under the pressure stopping mechanism of the machine, as will hereinafter be more fully described. A compression spring 512 seated in the rear end of the casing 502 and engaging the rear end of the shaft 566 tends to advance the shaft and depress the rack bar 510 to move the starting and stopping control mechanism to stop position. The bar 500 is normally held in retracted position against the pressure of its spring l'i2 during the operation of the machine by the engagement of the springpressed detent 416 on the spring plunger 466 with an abutment 5M on the bar which rides in a slot in the casing 502. When the spring plunger 460 is permitted to advance by the operation of the timing cam as above described, the detent M5 is moved out of the path of the abutment E it to permit the shaft 500 to advance under the pressure of its spring to stop the machine.

Inasmuch as it is necessary to maintain the bar 500 in its retracted position to prevent the stopping of the machine when the plunger 460 is advanced to resume the feeding operation upon the completion of a preliminary cut, a movable detent 518 is provided to remain in engagement at this time with a cooperating abutment 520 formed on the under side of the shaft 500. This detent is carried on one arm of a bell-crank lever 522 pivoted at 524 on the machine. In order to permit the abutment 520 to be moved past the detent 5|8 into locking position when the shaft 500 is retracted in starting the machine, the detent 51B is spring seated in the bell-crank lever 522 (see Fig. 1'7), and is provided with a cam surface which is engaged by a corresponding cam surface on the rear side of the abutment 520 to depress the detent and permit the shaft and abutment 520 to be moved past the detent 5ft into locking position. The bell-crank lever 522 is actuated at the end of the feeding operation to move the detent 5H3 out of line with the abutment 520, so that the movement of the plunger 460 under the influence of the timing cam M4 at the end of the gear cutting operation, can operate to release the shaft 500 and bring the machine to a stop. The connections for thus actuating the bell-crank lever 522 comprise a horizontally arranged actuating lever 526 (see Fig. 9) pivoted intermediate its length at 528 on the machine frame, and at its forward end arranged to ride on the surface of the disk 304 secured to the feeding sleeve 292. At its rear end the actuating lever 526 is connected to the lower end of an axially movable control rod 530 which is provided at its upper end with a rack 532 arranged to engage with a pinion 534. Movement is imparted from the control rod 530 to the bell-crank 522 to move the detent 5! into and out of operative position by means of a horizontally arranged axially movable member 536 which is connected at its rear end by a link 538 to the free arm of the bell-crank 522, and at its forward end is provided with a rack 54!! engaging with the pinion 534. So long as the actuating lever 526 rides on the peripheral surface of the disk 304 during the feeding movement of the sleeve 292 and during the preliminary cutting operations above described, the bell-crank 522 and the detent-5l6 are maintained in looking position to prevent the advance of the shaft 506 of its spring 5l2. However, as the abutment 366 on the flange 304 is brought into engagement with the stop 368 completing the will be raised by contact with thus causing the detent 5&8.

actuating lever 526 the abutment 365,

to be moved out of line with the abutment 520 through the connections described. As the spring-pressed plunger 465 is new advanced by .the action of the timing cam 4l4 withdrawing the detent 516 from the path of the abutment.

5M, the shaft 500 is free to move under the influence of its spring 5I2 to stop the machine. The advancing movement of the shaft 500 to Stop position is. limited by engagement of the abutment 514 with the end of the slot in the casing 502.

In order to permit the operator to stop the machine if desired at any point during the operation, mechanism is provided for rocking the shaft 506 to move the abutments 5M and 520 out of line with the corresponding detents 410 on the plunger and 513 on the bell-crank 522, so that the shaft 555 is permitted to move forward under the pressure of its spring 5l2 to stop the machine. This mechanism comprises a shaft 542 (see Figs. 9 and 11) mounted parallel and adjacent to the shaft 500, and provided at its rear end with a pinion 544 which meshes with a corresponding pinion 546 on the shaft 550. At its forward end the shaft 542 is provided with a manually controlled lever 548.

The machine herein .disclosed as embodying the invention is provided with a liquid pressure control system for stopping and starting the machine, and for controlling the feeding of the gear blank into depth with relation to the cutter. Liquid is supplied under pressure by means of a pump 550 (see Figs. 2, 3 and 9) which is provided with an intake pipe 552 to draw liquid from a sump or reservoir 554 located in the base of the machine. The pump is continuously driven independently of the operation of the machine from the driving pulley 44 (see Fig. 4) by means of a sprocket chain 556 which runs over a sprocket 55B formed on the end of the sleeve 46 carrying the pulley 44, and drives a sprocket 560 on the driving shaft 562 of the pump. The liquid is conducted under pressure from the pump through a pipe 564 to two sleeve valves which are placed one above the other in the machine, the upper valve being arranged to control the mechanism for feeding the gear blank to depth with relation to the cutter and the timing mechanism, and the lower valve being arranged to control the starting and stopping mechanism of the machine.

The feed control valve (see Figs. 9 and 10) comprises a central plug or core 566, a sleeve 568 within which the plug is mounted to turn, and a casing 510 within which the sleeve is mounted to turn. Two inlets 512 and 514 and an outlet 515 to the sump are provided in the casing 510 spaced at 90 angles with relation to each other, and arranged alternatively for different positions of the sleeve to connect with corresponding apertures 516 out through opposite sides of the sleeve. An outlet 518 is provided in the casing 5E0 to form a continuation of a bore 580 formed axially in the plug 566. Two channels 582 are cut laterally and at right angles to each other from the central bore 530 in the plug to connect with the apertures 515 in the sleeve 568. With the parts in the stop position of the machine as shown in Fig. 10, it will be seen that both inlet passages are closed while a free passage is opened to permit the liquid to escape from the System to the sump through the outlet passage 518. The feeding mechanism may be thrown into operation by a 90 movement of either the sleeve or the plug in a counter-clockwise direction, which movement acts at the same time to open one or the other of the inlet passages and to close the outlet passage 518 to the sump.

The valve for starting and stopping the machine is similar as thus far described in every respect to the valve for the feeding mechanism comprising a central plug 584, and a sleeve 586 mounted to turn in the casing 510 with the inlets and outlets arranged in a similar manner, so that starting from the stop position as shown in Fig. 10, a 90 turn of either the plug or the sleeve in a counter-clockwise direction will open up one or the other of the inlet passages for the liquid under pressure from the pump the starting and stopping pressure cylinder, and will at the same time close the outlet to the sump.

Liquid is conducted under pressure from the outlet 518 of the feed valve through a pipe 588 Which has two branches, one leading to the feed cylinder 406 for advancing the rack bar 398 and the feed member 290, and the other leading to the pressure cylinder 422 for the timing mechanism. A corresponding outlet for the stopping and starting valve is connected by a pipe 590 to the pressure cylinder 76 for starting and stopping the machine. A pipe 592 carries liquid released through the outlet 515 and the corresponding outlet in the starting and stopping valve back to the sump. Three manually operable control levers 594, 596 and 598 are mounted one above the other on the front of the machine to control the operation of the two valves for controlling the feeding operation and the starting and stopping ofthe machine. The topmost lever 594 is connected to rotate the central portion or plug 566 of the feed valve to enable the operator to control the feeding of the work by hand. The middle lever 596 is connected to rotate the central portion or plug 584 of the valve for controlling the starting and stopping of the machine, and is arranged to allow the operator manually to control the operation of the starting and stopping clutch. The third or bottom lever 598 is connected to a pinion 600 which engages with the lower end of the rack 5| which also engages with pinions 602 and 604 formed respectively on the sleeves 568 and 586 of the two valves, so that a movement of the lever 598 about its pivot will operate by imparting a lengthwise movement to the rack to cause a corresponding movement of the two sleeves simultaneously to open or closed position. During the automatic operation of the machine, the levers 594 and 596 for manually controlling the feed mechanism and the starting and stopping clutch, normally occupy their stop positions to the right as shown in Fig. 1. In starting the machine, the lever 599 which for convenience may be designated the automatic starting lever, is moved to the left as shown in Fig. 1 to raise the rack 0 and rotate the valve sleeves 568 and 586 in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Figs. 1 and 10, to open position. The parts are automatically held in this position against the pressure of the spring 512 bearing on the end of the bar 500 connected to the upper end of the rack bar 5"] by locking engagement of the stops 5| 4 and 520 on the bar 500 with the corresponding spring detents 410 and 516 as above described. From an inspection of the detail Fig. of the drawings, it will be seen that the m'ovement of the hand control levers 594 and 596 to rotate the plugs 566 and 584 to operative position, serves to open a passage for the liquid under pressure through the upper inlet 512 to each valve, while the movement of the automatic control lever 598 to move the sleeves 568 and 586 to operative position serves to open the laterally placed inlets 514 to the valves.

In order to determine within narrow limits the rate of feed of the gear blank towards the cutter during the automatic operation of the machine, a 5 needle valve is located in the inlet 514 from the pump, as shown in Fig. 10, to regulate the eifective pressure exerted on the piston as the rack bar 396 is advanced to feed the gear blank towards the cutter. This valve comprises a shaft 1 606 which is screw threaded into the casing of the machine, and carries a valve head 609 which is seated against a corresponding surface 610 in the casing. The setting of this valve is controlled by means of a rotatable shaft 6l2 which is provided with a knurled head 6l4, so that it may be readily turned by the operator, and at its rear end carries a worm 6 l6 engaging with a corresponding wormgear 6| 8 formed on the shaft 606.

The operation of the machine has been indicated in the preceding description, but may be briefly summarized as follows:-When the machine is to be set up for a cutting operation on a gear blank, the operator adjusts the position of the setting mechanism for the feed to give the desired pitch to the gear teeth, and to determine the depth of the preliminary cuts to be made in the gear blank. The disk 372 as shown in Figs. 2 and 9, is moved in a counter-clockwise direction to a position with relation to the fixed disk 304 in accordance with the markings on the disk 312 which indicate the pitch desired. The distance from the abutment 314 on the disk 312 to the stop 316 will then represent the turning movement of the feeding sleeve 292 required to advance the gear blank from a point in grazing contact with the cutter into the desired depth. The disks 378 are then arranged with relation to each other and to the disk 304 fixed to the sleeve to cause their abutments 380 to come into engagement with the butt 382 of the stop lever 384 at intermediate points during the rotational feeding movement of the sleeve 292. The disk 372 and the disk 378 are now rigidly clamped in position with relation to the disk 304 and sleeve 292 by tightening up the nut 394 above described. In order to place the gear blank in position on the work spindle, the operator now depresses the lever 334 to permit the work support 66 to be swung freely about its pivot clear of the other operating parts of the machine, and then after the blank been secured in place, moves the work support inwardly to bring the gear blank approximately into grazing contact with the cutter 24. In order to secure a finer adjustment of the work support 30 and gear blank with relation to the cutter than would otherwise be possible due to the size of the engaging teeth 324 and 325 cf-the clutch members, the Worm 346 may now be rotated to bring the support 30 and gear blank exactly into position for grazing contact with the cutter.

In order to determine the peripheral speed of the rotational movements of the gear blank and the cutter in accordance with the requirements of the work, two change speed gears 204 and 299 (Fig. 4) arranged to produce the required ratio are secured on the ends of the shafts 92 and I96.

Since the relative rates of rotation of the cutter spindle and the Work spindle must be selected with relation to the relative diameters of the cutter and the gear blank being operated upon, a set of change speed gears as indicated at 228 and 230 in Fig. 3, are provided in the driving connections to the cutter spindle, which are chosen 

